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Musicology PhD Program and Degree

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

Courses — A total of 16 half-courses is required to receive the PhD. Fourteen courses are usually taken during the first two years. Historical musicology students must take two half-courses in ethnomusicology and two half-courses in either theory or composition. No more than one seminar in Medieval theory and/or one analysis course (157x, 157y, 158) can be counted toward the theory require ment. Ethnomusicology students are required to take at least two half-courses each in historical musicology and in offerings outside the department.Ethnomusicology students must also take at least two half-courses in music theory or composition. It is recommended that at least one theory seminar be in cross-cultural music theory. The choice of courses will be determined in consultation with the ethnomusicology advisor.

Theory and composition students do not have a set curriculum and should plan their course of study with their advisor.

Graduate students who have one or more incompletes will not be considered for depart ment summer grants.

Students may be allowed academic credit (normally no more than two half-courses) for work done in other graduate schools in the United States or abroad, subject to the evalua­tion by the department and acceptance by the Graduate School. Petitions may be submitted after the completion of one full year of grad uate work in the department.

Analysis/Tonal Writing — Competence and fluency in traditional harmony, counterpoint, strict composition, and analysis (including analysis of 20th-century music) are prereq uisites for taking the General Examination. Entering students will be given a placement test; students found to have deficiencies in these skills will be required to take Music B, or other pertinent courses. Work must be under taken in the first year of study.

Languages — Written language examina tions are given at specified times throughout the year. Reading knowledge of the following languages must be proved before taking the General Examination:

Historical musicology students must pass German and French or Italian.

Ethnomusicology students must pass a European research language and a second lan guage to be determined in consultation with the ethnomusicology advisor.

Theory students must pass German plus one other language (French, Italian, Latin).

Composition students must pass German, Italian or French unless an alternative language is approved in writing by the graduate advisor.

Historical musicology students and ethnomusicology students must pass a third language appropriate to the field of specializa tion after completing the General Examina tions and within one year of the approval of a dissertation proposal.

Requirements for languages not tested regularly within the department may be satis fied through special examination, or through presentation of other documentation at the discretion of the graduate advisor.

Advising — Advising in the department during the pre-generals period is primarily handled by the appropriate graduate advisors and faculty members in the various programs, with the director of graduate studies available for further advice. After successful completion of the general examination, students consult with individual faculty members on their proposed fields of concentration, and when a dissertation proposal has been completed it is presented to the faculty in that field of study. When the dissertation proposal has been approved by the faculty in the program, it is brought to the entire department for final approval, and a dissertation committee is set up for each student. The dissertation committee consists of an advisor and two readers. Any questions or concerns about advising in the department can be brought to the attention of the director of graduate studies or the chair.

Residency — Two full years are required at full tuition and two at reduced tuition. See The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Hand book for specific information about residency requirements.

Review — The progress of all graduate students is reviewed at the end of each year. In addition to adequate course work, there are special requirements for first- and second-year students. Every student must submit at least one paper written for a graduate course as part of the first-year review. In musicology, every first- and second-year student must write at least one seminar paper per term.

General Examinations — The General Examination consists of two parts: written and oral. The orals are taken within one or two weeks of passing the writtens. The exams are to be taken between May and December of the student’s second year. Both the written and the oral parts can be repeated, but no more than once. The format, which is significantly different for each program, is as follows:

Historical Musicology

For historical musicologists, the general test will have three main parts — written, analysis and oral. The written exam consists of essays and short answer questions related to six of eight topics chosen by the student. The two prepared topics not selected for the written exam will be presented in the oral exam. The open-book analysis exam will be given in the summer, at a mutually agreeable time around mid-July. This will be a take-home exam, distributed on a Friday, and returned on Monday, mid-afternoon. It consists of two pieces of music (chosen from a) before 1700, b) 18th or 19th century, or c) 20th century). Students will choose one topic on which they will make a ten-minute presentation in the oral examination. Students will choose a second topic on which they will prepare a syllabus for a 13-week graduate seminar on the subject. This syllabus will be presented in written form, and may be the subject of discussion in the oral examination.

Ethnomusicology

The written test for ethnomusicologists is divided into three sections: one on ethno­musicology theory and method, a second from two areas of world music, a third on interdisciplinary problems. The analysis test includes two examples, one from the student’s major area (i.e., North Indian music, Swedish music, etc.) and a second from the Western art music tradition. The oral examination in ethnomusicology focuses on the special field or area chosen by the student, but may include questions about general ethnomusicology not necessarily related to topics covered in seminars. The remainder of the examination focuses on questions posed in the written examination.

Theory

The examination consists of four different parts: 1. A preliminary oral examination on repertoire and analysis (“single sheets”), lasting 30 mins, with 1 hr preparation time, usually taken at the beginning of the summer. 2. Four written exams of 3 hrs each: (a) systematic theories, (b) history of music theory, (c + d) two examinations in special fields relevant to dissertation research. 3. Analytical essays on two musical works from different periods (take-home paper over 4 days). 4. A two-hour oral examination will allow discussion on the written work and may broaden to engage a variety of related issues in music theory.

Composition

For composers, a written analysis is to be completed in three days at the end of the spring term of the second year of graduate study. It consists of a piece or set of pieces that should be analyzed by the student in the allotted time period. Students are also required to write an original composition of 7-10 minutes length with an imposed instrumenta tion, to be submitted by August 15. The oral examination is based on an in-depth discus sion of three major works that are assigned in the late spring of the second year of graduate study, plus an analytical presentation of the student’s original composition.

Teaching

Beginning in the third year, graduate students in good standing are eligible for teaching fellowships. Most teaching fellows devote 2/5 TIME to teaching.

Additional third-year requirements — The third year is primarily devoted to developing a dissertation proposal and the beginning of work on the dissertation. All students will complete their required courses; in most cases, that will mean two half-courses, the topics of which may be assigned by the faculty as a result of the General Examination. Musicology students will begin their third language (to be completed within one year of the approval of a dissertation proposal).

Dissertation — Within the academic year in which the General Examination is passed, the PhD candidate is expected to develop a proposal for a dissertation, which should be a major original contribution to the field. The proposal must be submitted for approval to the department, which is responsible for assigning the student a committee consisting of a dissertation advisor and two other faculty members. Normally, the complete disserta tion must be submitted within five years after passing the General Examination, and satisfactory progress must be demonstrated every year in order that the student remain in good standing. If the dissertation is submitted thereafter the department is not obligated to accept it. The formal requirements for the dissertation are set forth in The Form of the PhD Dissertation, provided by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The depart ment requires one bound copy for the Music Library, in addition to the two copies required for the Registrar.

Colloquium — Musicology and theory students, after the approval of their disserta tion proposal, will participate in the doctoral colloquium until the dissertation is accepted. Exceptions are made for traveling scholars researching outside of Harvard.

Course Information

In general, for all students, 100-level courses should be taken as supplemental to the grad­uate program, and should not be the major portion of the student’s coursework. The students should discuss their intentions with the graduate advisor. Students are encouraged to pursue course offerings in performance.

Graduate credit will automatically be given to composition students for any of the following 100-level courses: Music 157x and y, 160, 165r, 167r. In order to receive graduate credit, permission to take any addi tional half-courses at the 100-level must be granted by the graduate advisor before taking the course.

For theory students, the following courses will count as “in their secondary area”; in composition, 166r, 167r, up to a total of two terms in all, 261r, 262r, 264, 270, and 272; in musicology, courses numbered 201 through 219 or any 100-level course which has been specifically designated as satisfying this requirement in a given term by both the graduate advisors in musicology and the graduate advisor in theory. Theory students intending to count graduate credit (toward the 16 half-course credits) for any 100-level course should obtain written authorization to do so from the graduate theory advisor prior to taking the course.

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